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1IASSACHUSBTT& 



MASSACHUSETTS. 



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ry, potetoM, bopi, boane koA other Tagcteblaa, and ptimpkini, which 

 u«t are used u food for swine aod cattle. ForetU (till cover a oon- 

 (idemble portion of the ttirfaoe. In the plains the white pine nw 

 on a toil conunting of light loam, and the jrellow-piDe on sand and 

 grmveL The hilly and mountainoiu country producea oak, walnut, 

 btreh, maple, aah, oedar, cherry, and oheatnut In the vall<>ys and on 

 the banks of the riTers there are elm, cherry, maple, and aspen. Some 

 marshy places are covered mostly with white cedar. All the fruit-trees 

 of England are oultlTatad. 



Cuttle are of a good sixe in the mountainous and hilly country west 

 of Connecticut River. Fish abound in the rivers and in the sea. The 

 whale fishery in the sea between Massachusetts and the Great Bank of 

 Newfonndlsad is still important, though the Urfter kinds of whales 

 have disappeared. The fishery of cod in Massachusetts Bay and on 

 tlM banks near Nantucket is very important, as is also that of 

 madcereL 



Mantffaelurtt, Commerce, <tc. — The minufactures of this state are 

 mtn considerable than those of any other state of the Union, if its 

 extent and population are considered. The most im|x>rtant branches 

 are the construction of vessels, the manufactures of cotton and woollen 

 goods, of iron, paper, leather, and glass ; spermoil, candles, and soap ; 

 ■agar ; boots and shoes ; rope and cordage ; lumber and wooden 

 ware ; carriages and railway cars ; cutlery ; machinery, engines, 

 and agricultural implements and tools ; cabinet ware ; tobacco and 

 snuff; spirits; straw-bonnets, hats, and all the ordinary articles of 

 domestic use. 



The commercial relations of this state with foreign countries and 

 the other states of the Union are extensive and important The most 

 important articles of export are dried and salt fish, train and spt>r- 

 maoeti oils, salted beef, flour, soap, candleji, leather, and cotton-goods. 

 The imports consiKt mostly of colonial guod^, broui;ht from the Wrst 

 Indies, as coffee, sugar, molasses, indigo, iron, and hemp, together with 

 the manufactured goods of England, eapeci:iUy silk, linen, and woollen ; 

 and iron from Russia and Sweden ; a considerable trade is also carried 

 on with China, Rrazil, and the West Indies. Massachusetts has a 

 larger import trade than any state of the Union, excapt New York : 

 in the export trade it is exceeded by New York, Louisiana, and 

 Alabama. The imports for the year ending June 30, 1852, were valued 

 at 33,504,789 dollars. The exports for the same period were valued 

 at 16,546,499 dollars, of which domestic produce amounted to 14,144,001 

 dollars, and foreign produce to 2,402,498 dollars. The whale, cod, 

 and mackerel fisheries are important branches of the industry of 

 the state. 



Dtcinoiu, Towns, Ac. — Massachusetts is divided into 14 counties. 

 BoOTOR, noticed in a separate article, is the political capital, the com- 

 mercial metropolis of Hasaachusetta, and the most important city in 

 the New Eluglaiid states. The following are the other more important 

 town* ; the population is that of 1350, but the Census Report does not 

 vaiy dearly distinRuuih between the population of the towns hero 

 called Tillages, and that of the townships, which in this as in some 

 of the other states, are called ' towns ': — 



Andorer, on the right bank of the Merrimac, 21 miles N. by W. from 

 Boston : population, 6945. The town contains several churches and 

 ■ehoola,and is the seat of Andover Theological Seminary, one of the chief 

 theological ooUegaa in the Union. There are considerable manufactories 

 and mills, for which there is abundant water-power. BarmtabU, on 

 Barnstable Bay, 62 milesS.£. from Boston : population, 4902. It is a busy 

 sea-port town, and the capital of Bamatable county, and contains the 

 usual county buildings, churches, and sohoola. Most of the inhabitants 

 are oonoeotad with the fishing trade. Cambridge, population 15,215, 

 and Chailalown, popolation 17,216, two of the largest suburbs of 

 BonoK : the places are connected by bridges. They contain many 

 excellent public buildings, manufacturing and commercial establish- 

 ments, and literary institutions. Cambridge is the seat of Harvard 

 University and obaervatory ; Charlestown of the state prison, and a 

 United States navy yard. At the back of Charlestown is Breed's HiU, 

 better known as Bunker's Hill, the scene of a noted skirmish between 

 the English and American forces in 1775 ; the site is marked by a 

 granite obelisk. Bdgartoften, on the east side of Martha's Vineyard, 

 tba capital of Duke's county, population 1990, has a safe and con- 

 vanient harbour, and carries on a considerable businaaa connected with 

 tha whale fnhing and coasting tnule. Fall River, a maoufaoturing 

 town, and |K>rt of entrj-, is built on the Kail River, the outlet of 

 Watuppa Poud, at the confluence of Taunton River, 46 miles .S. from 

 Boetmi : popuUtiun, 11,624. Fall River village which had only 1594 

 ™>«'»'*"*« '" 1820, has now coma to be one of the chief manufacturing 

 °*^'"* J i^ v?**' " **" ••""^ •"«» cotton and woollen factories, 

 print and blaaohing works, iron foundries, boot and shoe manufoctories, 

 Ac ; oamai on some foreign and an extensive coasting trade ; and is 

 lugriy cogH^Ml in the whaK cod, and mackerel fisheries. fUchburu, on 

 UiaNasbaaRiver,42miIeaW.N.W.fn>mBoston: population.5120. The 

 town haa of late years grown into considerable importance from having 

 baooma a great railway oentrs, several of the principal lines forming a 

 Junction here. The Na«hua River sffords a gnat amount of water- 

 power, and there are extensive cotton and woollen factories, paper- 

 mills, kc, in the town aud iU vicinity. Granite of fine quality is 

 quarri. d in the neigtibourfaood. Gloucttler, situated on Cape Anne, 27 

 miles N.X.E. from Boston, population 7780, has a goodjiarbour open 



at all seasons. The inhabitanta are employed in oommerae, ihip- 

 building, and the fisheries. Lowell, on the ri^ht bank of the Merrimao, 

 at the confluenoe of the Concord River, 26 miles N. from Boston : 

 population, 33.883. Lowell is the principal scat of the cotton manu- 

 facture iu New England, and is commonly designated in American 

 works ' the Manoha«t' r of America.' The spot on which Lowell ia 

 built was in 1821 selected as the site on which to erect some extensiv* 

 cotton-milla. The village, tlien known as East Chelmsford, contained 

 200 inhabitanta in 1820. The great amount of water-power rendered 

 available by the enlai^ement of the Pawtueket Camu, and the con- 

 struction of the Merrimac Canal, led to the rapid extension of manu- 

 foeturing operations; and in 1826 a charter of incorporation was 

 granted, erecting the village into a town by the name of Lowell. At 

 its incorporation Lowell contained 17,633 inhabitants; iu 1850 as we 

 have seen it had 33,3S3; and in 1853 it is said to have had over 40,000 

 inhabitants. In March 1836 Lowell was incorporated as a city. The 

 factories are chiefly the property of oompanios, or corporations. In 

 1850 it had 10 companies making cotton or woollen goods. These 

 companies possessed 40 mills, with a capital of 12,500,000 dollars ; 

 and employed 2802 males, and 8254 females ; working 9906 looms, and 

 825,520 spindles. There were besides a bleaching company, which em- 

 ployed 220 hands ; and a macliine making company, which empl;>yed 

 700 hands. The females employed in the mills are lodged and boarded 

 in buildings erected for the purpose, and careful provision is made for 

 thoir personal comfort, and moral superintendence ; and these arrange- 

 ments and the superior educational facilities afforded to the work- 

 people generally have attracted much attention iu this country as well as 

 in America. The ' female operatives ' of Lowell for some years pub- 

 lished a monthly periodical entitled " The Lowell Offering, a Repository 

 of Original Articles, written exclusively by Females actively employed in 

 the Mills," which displayed a very respectable amount of knowledge, 

 tact, and skill in writing. Besides the companies' mills there are 

 factories belonging to individuals, which employ about 1500 hands : 

 they consist of paper-, powder-, planing-, and batting-mills, foundries, 

 &c. The city is regularly laid out, and has several good buildings. 

 The principal public eJifices are, tlie court-house, the market-house, 

 the mechanics hall, hospital, &c There are 23 churches, a city high 

 school, 10 grammar schools, and 46 primary schools, two savings 

 banks, and other educational and benevolent institutions. Four rail- 

 ways divei^e from the city. Lynn, a city and port, on the north side 

 of Massachusetts Bay, 10 miles N. by E. from Boston, population 

 14,257, contains 15 churches, 10 school-houses, an academy, several 

 literary, scientific, and benevolent iaatitutions, two savings banks, 

 insurance officei«, banks, &0. The principal occupation of the inhabit- 

 ants is the manufacture of shoes, for which Lynn has long been 

 famous. In 1850 there were in the city 89 shoe manufacturers, and 

 the number of persons employed in the manufacture was 10,058. 

 Marblehead, also on Massachusetts Bay, occupies the peninsula between 

 Salem aud Nahant harbours, about 4 miles N.E. from Lynn, and 14 

 miles from Boston : population, 6107. It is a busy fishing towu, with 

 a good harbour for vessels of the largest size. Coasting steamers call 

 here several times daily. Nantacktl, on the north side of Nantucket 

 Island, 90 miles S.S.K from Boston: population, 8452. The village 

 is situated at the bottom of the bay, which is 6 miles long, aud 

 almost entirely land-locked. The harbour is a good one, aud on the pro- 

 jecting points of land at its entrance, which are three-quarters of a mile 

 apart, are two lighthouses, Nantucket was the first place in America 

 which engaged in the whale fishery, and is still more largely engaged 

 in it than any other town in the Union except New Bedford. New 

 Bedford, a city, port of entry, and one of the capitals of Bristol county, 

 on the right bank of the Aciishnet, 4 miles above its entrance into 

 Buzzards Bay, 51 miles S. by E. from Boston : population, 16,443. 

 It is built on ground which rises rapidly from the river, is regularly 

 laid out, and contains a town-ball, the custom-house, court-house, 

 several churches, the Frien>ls' Academy for Ladies, &c. The harbour 

 is spacious, and affords secure anchorage for vessels of large size. 

 New Bedford is the principal entrepAt of tiie United States whale 

 fishery ; two-thirds of the tonnage employed in the whale fishery 

 belong to this port. The buniuess of the city is chiefly connected 

 with the whale fishery ; the nianiifaotories are of oil aud candlet, cord- 

 age, irou-hoops, copper and iron rivets, and Prussian blue ; there are ex- 

 tensive ooopersges. Shipbuilding is carried on to some extent. The 

 New Bedford and Taunton railway connects the city with the railway 

 syntem of the state. Newburyport, a city, port of entry, and one of the 

 capitals of Essex county, is built on rising ground, on the ri>;ht bank 

 of the Merrimac, 4 miles from its mouth, 34 miles N.N.E. from Boston : 

 population, 9572. It is regularly laid out and well builL The 

 chief public buildings are — a custom-house, a court-house, jail, 10 

 churches (in one of which, the first Presbyterian church, is the tomb 

 of the celebrated George Whitfield, who died at Newburyport) ; a 

 lyceum, an academy, a high school, an endowed classical swool, and 

 several primary schools. Five large cotton-factories are in the town. 

 The harbour is capacious and safe, being protected by a breakwater, 

 but the entrance is obstructed by a sand-bar. Some foreign and 

 coaoting trade is carrie<l on, but the cod and mackerel fisheries are of 

 more iin|>ortance. Northampton, th'j capital of Hampshire county, on 

 the right bank of the CounecUcot, 81 miles W. by S. from Boston : 

 population, 6278. The towu is regularly laid out, contains many 



